The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

Review: written Oct 2013

Romantic Drama wrapped up In Men In Black shenanigans

This Philip K Dick adaptation posits a world in which anonymous suit becladded men work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the world continues `as per plan'. Whose plan? The movie doesn't go there - just says that `You call it by many names'. These suits ensure the minutiae of life are engineered such that a lost set of keys or a spilt cup of coffee ensure you get where you should be at the right time.. or keep you from where you shouldn't be. When by accident one of those spilt cups of coffee doesn't happen, a relationship is built between Damon and Emily Blunt, and the suits intervene - how far will he go to stay with the woman he has come to love?

The leads really convince.. Matt Damon is thoroughly likeable, and the romance never seems forced.. ironically enough, given the context. The design of the movie has a persistent kind of art deco quality, giving it a timeless quality. The `suits' are conveyed convincingly enough by Tony Slattery (Mad Men) and Anthony Mackie, with Terence Stamp coming in for the final act. The resolution is not quite as exciting as it thinks it is, and dodges too many of the intriguing questions such a premise suggests. The movie is not the mash-up the front cover suggests either, when it says "Bourne meets Inception".. it's not got Bourne like action or grit, and it's not mind warping like Inception, or as reliant on effects. There is a mash-up going on here though, and the question is how well does it work. As a romantic thriller, there is chemistry, drama and tension enough to work. As a sci-fi, there is an intriguing concept for you to mull over and leave you with some questions, and done seamlessly enough that we don't stop to question the logic or effects. As a hybrid of both genres, it seems on slightly shakier ground, but classy enough and with enough joie de vivre to pull through. Above all, if you like hats, give it a watch.